Following the judge's assurance, Leo and Francesca's divorce was finalized at the end of January. The process couldn't have concluded any sooner, Leo mused. With an eagerness to tie the knot in Silva's hometown of Sicily, Leo wasted no time. On Valentine's Day, he seized the moment and proposed to Silva, who joyfully accepted his heartfelt proposal. The evening unfolded with a romantic dinner at Water Grill, where Leo proudly served as the head chef. As the night progressed, Leo took a knee and surprised Silva with his heartfelt gesture.


Amidst the anticipation, they planned for an intimate wedding slated for end of May, a time when temperatures settled around a pleasant 70 degrees Fahrenheit, offering mild and agreeable weather. While it took Silva some time to find it in her heart to forgive Leo, she made it clear that she would never forget his past infidelity. She stressed that if he were to betray her trust again, she wouldn't even entertain the idea of taking him back.

Their journey, marked by forgiveness, commitment, and an understanding of the consequences, forged ahead as Leo and Silva prepared to embark on their new chapter together.


During the time when Leo wasn't working, the judge granted him visitation and weekend access to baby Logan, when he was born. They had to come up with a schedule that worked for both of them.


By then, Francesca was seven months pregnant, in her final trimester, and her bump was growing every day. Her feet were heavily swollen and she spent most of her day knitting like an old lady and her back hurt, she frequently had heartburn, and hot flashes, which she didn't have with Ellie or Zoe, but she wasn't forty years old then, instead she was twenty-two.


After knitting a successful pair of blue baby booties a few months earlier, she decided to knit a matching baby sweater. Her frustration increased each time she had to redo a stitch because it was much more challenging.

Back then, Zoe encouraged her to enrol in knitting classes instead of struggling and getting frustrated and Francesca remembered her words to her daughter, "It would be nice to at least master baby booties before joining a class." Despite that, she knew she could not make it there since she was uncomfortable with driving.

"Taking private knitting classes might be a smart idea, Mom."


And so she did. Francesca found a woman in Brentwood Village who did home visits after hours and on weekends. As she learned more and more about knitting, she became increasingly excited about the prospect of baby Logan wearing her sweater and booties.


She hadn't yet decided on a name, but thought Leo might have some suggestions. Several of the ideas he had didn't appeal to Francesca, so they ended up arguing frequently. It proved utterly impossible for them to endure each other's presence in the same room for more than ten minutes without harboring intense desires to do each other harm.


Due to her inability to drive, Francesca saw her doctor every two weeks, and Harold took her. Although he was in the middle of filming his latest horror film, Secrets under the bed, which was put on hold for a few weeks, a while back, due to lack of funds, it was never a problem for him.


While her doctor was very pleased with her progress, she told her repeatedly that stress at this stage would harm the baby, since she was aware of the divorce and constant fighting between her and Leo.


Since he typically phoned in advance before arriving, she hadn't anticipated his unexpected appearance at her doorstep that particular evening.


"Leo, if you're here to pick a fight, I suggest you reconsider and leave. Dr. Taylor stressed the importance of reducing stress and conflict for the baby's sake."


He responded with a peace sign. "I come in peace, Francesca."


Surprised by his sudden change in demeanor, she asked, "Well then, what brings you here for a social visit?"


"We need to discuss visitation rights and how they'll be handled," he said, letting himself in.


"But we still have time for that," she countered, closing the door behind him.


"I'll be in Italy for a few days, so now's a good opportunity," he explained.


"When are you leaving?" Francesca inquired.


"Next week."


Francesca took a seat, mindful of her swollen feet. She had discussed it with Dr. Taylor, who attributed it to physiologic edema, a common condition during pregnancy.


"Okay," she agreed.


Sitting beside her, he looked at her intently. "I have a suggestion to make. But before you dismiss it, please hear me out."


"What's your suggestion?"


"Silva and I are hoping to care for our baby a week after his birth."


"What? Leo, you know I need to breastfeed him for at least six months before introducing solid foods," she reminded him. "What's prompting this?"


"I understand you have custody, but what's the purpose of the judge granting me visitation rights and weekends if I can't see him until six months?" he queried.


"You will see him Leo. The visitation rights I can understand, but as for the whole weekend, especially taking him after the week he is born, I think maybe for now he needs to be with me. And remember, I've already had two children, so I know what I'm talking about."


A sigh escaped Leo's lips. "It seems logical."


"I get that you are skeptical." She paused. "I can try formula and see how it works, and then let you know."


He stood up. "You do that."


"Are you and Silva serious again?" she asked.


He hesitated before answering, "We're getting married."


A stunned look crossed her face. "Wow. Okay. That's why you're going to Italy, isn't it?"


"We're planning to check out a few places in Sicily, churches that type of thing and she wants to show me her country. The wedding is in May."


"Congratulations."


"Thank you." He looked at her for a few seconds before saying, "I'm sorry things turned out this way Francesca."


"Me too, but hey if you're happy then I'm happy."


"Do you mean that?"


"Yes of course."


A kiss was placed on her forehead by him. "I need to get going. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for me. I have the whole Razzle Dazzle party going on."


"Okay. Have a safe trip if I don't see you."


"I will and take care of yourself and our baby. No giving birth before I get back." 


"We'll do our best." She smiled.


It wasn't until after eight that evening that Jennifer, the knitting instructor, arrived. It was obvious to her that Francesca was thousands of miles away.


"What's up?"


"It's nothing."


"Francesca I haven't known you that long, but I can definitely see you aren't here with me."


"What makes you think I am not with you?"


"You seem to be losing stitches one after another."


Francesca placed her knitting beside her. "May I ask you a question?"


"Sure."


"How long have you and Greg been married?"


"Twelve years."


"And you haven't had any problems whatsoever?"


"We've had our fair share, believe me," she responded.


"In what way? You always talk about how wonderful your life is, and the fact that you own your own business and it is successful makes it seem like a life without problems."


Jennifer sipped her iced tea and placed the glass on the coaster. "About five years ago, Greg had an affair."


"You're kidding, right?"


"No, I'm afraid not. It was with my best friend. I caught them in the act one day when I wasn't feeling well and closed shop for the day."


"So what did you do?" Francesca asked in surprise.


"I did nothing. My only action was to walk away. For a while, I stayed with my brother. As Greg begged me to come back, he promised it wouldn't happen again. After a few weeks of couple counselling, I can honestly say things are better than they have ever been."


"What happened to your friend?"


"After that incident, she disappeared. Last I heard, she was living in Seattle, but honestly, I couldn't care less."


Francesca's expression was intense as she studied her. "So what's bothering you?" she asked. "It seems you've experienced one or two heartbreaks recently?"


Jennifer never learned anything about Francesca during their knitting sessions. "I found out today that my ex is getting married in Italy in May."


"You're hurt, right?"


Francesca nodded. "Despite our disagreements and inability to be in the same room, I still love him."


"Then take action."


"Like what?" she asked. "It's not exactly feasible for me to declare my undying love to him. Aside from that, he doesn't love me anymore. I'm a fat forty-year-old woman and he's getting married to this young supermodel."


"You're fat," she abbreviated the word, "because you're pregnant, and you look amazing by the way."


"I appreciate you trying to make me feel better." She sipped her iced tea, and then picked up her knitting, taking care not to lose a stitch.


"May I ask bluntly what happened that he left you?"


Francesca hesitated before answering, "I cheated on him. Well, I wouldn't call it that, but Leo insists I did."

Jennifer waited for Francesca to continue. "He caught me with my boss at work one night."


"Okay."


"I know it was wrong and it's no excuse, but we were both under a lot of pressure and not spending enough time together and I guess Harold was just there, and the rest is history."


"Why don't you try couples therapy and see how it goes?"


"I did that once before with my previous marriage and it didn't work."


"So this has happened before?"


"Yip and now you know why I'm sitting here seven months pregnant and alone."


"Okay."


The pair remained in silence, knitting together until well past ten that evening.


Settled in bed for the night, Francesca felt utterly exhausted. Her only desire was for the baby to arrive soon, as she was feeling extremely uncomfortable. She was certain that she would opt for tubal ligation after the baby's birth; she was unequivocally done with having children.